bbc Radio 3 podcasts

Enrico Rava has never made any secret of his admiration for the sound of Miles Davis. Indeed his every note is steeped in his hero's sound. But there the similarity ends. Rava has taken his trumpet into a bewildering variety of settings, from tiny chamber jazz ensembles to big bands, as well as his current favourite quintet formation, and he has explored musical avenues down which Miles himself never turned. A witty, urbane man, Rava is a delightful conversationalist, and offers the inside story on many of the albums that have made him Italy's most famous jazz musician and a star of the world stage. He is one of the most accomplished musicians in European jazz. Following his joyous concert at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, earlier this year, he joined Alyn Shipton to choose his favourite examples from his recorded work, and to preview his forthcoming album New York Days, which features his long-term colleague Stefano Bollani, and American drummer Pul Motian.